Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have become a cornerstone of the gaming industry. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Thus, gaming manufacturers continuously endeavor to develop new games and improved gaming features and enhancements that will attract frequent play and player loyalty through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
Heretofore, gaming machine design and innovation has focused primarily on displays, lighting, and other attraction devices, system networking and configuration, payout mechanisms, and most predominantly on game play, such as base game features and enhancements, bonus rounds, and progressive-type game play. Gaming terminal cabinets have received less attention, with such attention being generally limited to enhancing cabinet ergonomics and improving player convenience. Relatively little research and development has been dedicated to optimizing cabinet flexibility and scalability for cross-platform integration.
For existing gaming terminals, the construction, footprint and appearance of the cabinet are usually fixed once the gaming terminal is released from the manufacturer and placed on the casino floor. One reason for this lack of flexibility is the difficulty involved in altering the construction and appearance of an already assembled gaming terminal. For example, gaming machines have historically been limited to a fixed cabinet configuration with a dedicated primary display, top box and top-box mounted marquee or light, and rigidly mounted artwork panels and other signage. In addition, the electrical hardware, circuitry, and peripheral devices for each gaming terminal are normally fixed for a particular type of terminal configuration. To alter game offerings, casino operators or contracted technicians are therefore required to either replace the entire gaming machine or to replace many of the machine's components, such as the artwork, top box and marquee. For instances where the operator wishes to change the footprint or overall appearance of a gaming machine, or desires to modify the cabinet's hardware, the entire terminal must typically be replaced. The replacement process is costly, time consuming, and counter-productive to maintaining pace with the continuously changing gambling industry. There is therefore a need for a modular gaming machine configuration which offers greater flexibility for quickly and easily changing the construction and appearance of the terminal.